Paper crane in a dirty drain
Trying to dry her wings
The atom split between her lips in the final stage
Chemicals dissolve and the family disappears
She sees her life slip between the cracks in the atomic age
Like a shot in the vein
Like a shot in the vein

Can a pilot see the distant arc of history
A thousand suns all burst at once in a blinding rage
We need a drug
We need something to take the dreams away
Because the dream of peace has gone to sleep in the passing lane
Like a shot in the vein
Like a shot in the vein

There's a black dog hanging by a string
In the flutter of a thousand paper wings
Put your faith in the chemicals
But you fear to crash and you overreact
When you hear the bomb going off
And you see the flash, it's out of sync
When you take bitter pills
No sugarcoat can match the taste
A thousand paper cranes
Left out in the rain
A thousand paper cranes